English Cuisine

You probably associate English food with being bland and tasteless. We’re here to show you otherwise. The temperate, temperature, topography, and history of England all influence the food. Contacts with other countries in Europe, as well as the importation of materials and ideas from locations like North America, China, and India under the British Empire and as a consequence of post-war immigration, are all examples of the latter. Since the Early Modern Period, English cuisine has been distinguished by its clarity of approach and emphasis on high-quality natural ingredients. This resulted in a traditional cuisine that avoided strong flavors like garlic and complicated sauces, which were generally linked with Catholic Continental political sympathies. This was inspired in no small part by England’s Puritan background. Flour and cheese, roast and stew foods, meat and poultry pies, boiling veggies and soups, and fresh and saltwater fish all have ancient beginnings. Other dishes, such as fish and chips, which were once popular city street food served with salt and malt vinegar on newspaper, and pies and sausage rolls with mashed potatoes, onions, and gravy, have now been surpassed in prominence by curries from India and Bangladesh, as well as stir-fries inspired by Chinese and Thai cuisine. French and Italian cuisines have been widely modified as well. Britain was likewise quick to adapt the American fast food concept, and it continues to acquire culinary innovations from around the world while discovering its origins in healthy rural agriculture. And it’s not just a full English Breakfast or fish n’ chips — there are so many hidden treasures in English cuisine and this section is dedicated to showing you just what they are.